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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nightranger" data-source="post: 1315120" data-attributes="member: 64473"><p>This is the single most key phrase in all this debate and is central to everything that is wrong with the Malta situation. I hope it comes as no surprise to everyone here that just about every Mediterranean country has issues about bird hunting (the RSPB have an excellent pack that is well worth a read if you get in touch through the usual channels). However, the major difference is that all the other situations are problematic in having a low police presence in the areas where the shooting/trapping is taking place. It is slightly analogous to the raptor persecution here in that there is the process in place to deal with the problem, including the appropriate laws and the policitical will. The downside is that we are talking about areas much larger and less populated than Malta with a correspondingly lower police presence. Gallina probably still thinks that this is evidence that Malta is being unfairly treated but the reality is that the Maltese government agreed on a five year grace period to implement it EU Bird Directive changes when it applied to join the EU. Lo and behold, when the five year period was ending people like Gallina came out of the woodwork to promote jingoism and the hunters stepped up their appalling environmental vandalism. To me, this seemed entirely predictable and I am sure there were many people who knew that there was never any chance that Malta was going to honour its promise. OK, we can expect that from individuals, as is happening with the fox hunting (with hounds, before anyone takes issue fox control is and always has been legal) here but it is a different prospect when the national government chooses to ignore or re-negotiate its very own promises.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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